Is that a typo?

A while back I had to renew my ID at the Monterey DMV. The DMV is never a pleasant experience under the best of circumstance.  This time I was prepared with all the senseless red tape paperwork needed to easily get my ID and get the hell out of there. I was simply renewing my old ID which was issued in Connecticut. For the life of me I don't know why there are so many hoops to jump through for this. Especially when you are charged for something that you are required to have, and it's somehow considered a "privilege" (when it comes to operating a motor vehicle anyway). But that's a whole other story.

So I get to the DMV and wait in line to get my number. Yeah, I should have scheduled an appointment. Duly noted. After waiting for about 30 minutes I finally get my number called. I approach the counter, put on my best smile, try to act friendly etc. in hopes for this to go smoothly. To my surprise the lady that waited on me was in good spirits and was fairly friendly.

I handed over my old ID along with my required documentation. One of those documents was my "official copy" of my birth certificate. Now, here's something strange. I actually had my actual original birth certificate given by my hospital at the time of my birth - which they do not accept. I had an advantage though - I've dealt with this annoying situation before and this time came prepared - with a notarized copy of my birth certificate from a Montana court house.

As the lady looked over my older license and the forms I filled out, her face became a bit confused. She asked me to look at my old ID as well as the forms I completed. She then asked me specifically what my middle name was. I told her, it's 'Ralph'. My middle name is that of my Grandfather, although I've never been to fond of the name, it is what it is. The DMV lady handed me my "official copy" of my birth certificate and told me to read the middle name on it. I looked and it took me a moment, but there it was. Yep, a fucking typo. My middle name read 'RAPLH' (I hear it pronounced as rap-ll), not 'RALPH' (pronounced like the puke word).